Dale Moon

Who were some of your earliest musical influences?

Right from the start for me it was Rush and Van Halen, which is an interesting yin and yang. I like how completely thought-out Neil Peart's playing is, and how completely instinctual Alex Van Halen's playing seems, and yet they're equally valid.

The other main early influence was Tower Of Power. David Garibaldi is probably my single biggest drum hero of all time. I can literally remember the moment I first heard Back To Oakland. It instantly made me wonder why we all play the same drum beats all the time.

What kind of Electronics do you use?

Often, we’ll do in-store appearances or radio shows while on the road. In these situations, I use a full kit of electronic drums, which are made by RET Percussion. They’re dual-zone triggers made with actual maple shells and real-feeling heads.

Also, no matter which kit I’m using, I use a pair of Roland SPD-S sampling pads to my left above the hi-hats. I can trigger drum sounds directly from them, or I can trigger rhythm guitar loops or piano loops that we couldn’t otherwise cover live without more people. That strategy allows us to sound extremely full on stage even though we’re a trio. I use two of them MIDI’d together so I can monitor one with added click, and send one to the house without a click.

I use a Boss metronome for a time reference, and I have a small mixer that I use to tie it all together and monitor the other band members.

I use Electro-Voice microphones on everything. They absolutely rock, and have held up great on the road.

Do you use triggers live or in the studio?

I currently don't use any live, and I've never used them in the studio, with the exception of random sessions for other people. I used to use them to trigger effects program changes on my reverb unit on the fly.

You have a third pedal on your left side next to your hi-hat and left kick pedal. What's that about?

That's been primarily a soloing device; it’s a Rhythm Tech Ribbon Crasher mounted on a Gajate bracket. I use the sound in the same way I would use a snare, or sometimes a clave. It allows me to set up a fairly complete groove with my feet, which I can then solo over.

What’s your approach to drum solos?

The first and most important thing is the composition itself. Most of the people listening are not drummers, plus every minute I’m onstage alone is a minute that the other members of the band are NOT onstage. I really feel that something musical has got to be happening during my solo, or else we should just get back to playing songs.

I tend to use lots of ostinatos and polyrhythms in my solos. My favorite drum solos are ones in which there is accompaniment, and the drummer gets a chance to stretch the time and create rhythmic tension, while someone else holds things together. Since I’m the only one onstage during my solos, I have to try to be two people in order to pull that off. That’s where the ostinatos come in. I’ll play a repeating phrase with a couple of limbs, then solo over that with my remaining limbs, and that way I can create the push and pull that I like to hear, plus it provides the listeners with a nice, accessible groove to latch onto if they don’t care about the other stuff I’m doing.

I do think there has to be a circus element to a rock n’ roll drum solo. It’s an unmistakably physical instrument, and I think people appreciate the stamina, power, and coordination involved, and I try to push myself on every level. I don’t like finishing and feeling like I could have given more.

Who are your influences as soloists?

I’d say the two big ones there are Neil Peart and Terry Bozzio. They both take a structured, compositional approach to their solos, then improvise within that framework. And Bozzio has elevated the ostinato thing to a whole new level; his name is practically synonymous with it.